It has been almost 12 years since I had been to Seattle, and I was still eager to get back there. Seattle was one of those places where I really felt at home. In 1998 I visited our relatives Stephanie and Rich Franko (as well as Nicholas and Peter) on my way back home from the UK. During that visit I fell in love with the laid back atmosphere, the eclectic mix of people and the modern technological city that was and is Seattle.
Known for some of the most influential global brands like Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, Starbucks and many more, it would be easy to think that everyone was white collar computer geeks drinking coffee; that is until you remember that Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and the whole grunge music scene began in Seattle. It is a city of contradictions.
By 2pm we had arrived to our gracious host’s house in a lovely area of Seattle. Kam and I hit the streets and went for a bit of a walk around the area to give Stephanie some space while she worked from home. In about 5 minutes we had seen one of the best views of Seattle, and had even found a happy hour to wash away the day.
On our second day in Seattle, Stephanie took time away from her work to take us on a bit of a driving tour of the city. It gave us a great gauge of where things are and a good history lesson of the city. We visited the Salmon ladder where wild salmon made their journey upstream, and managed to catch a ranger giving a talk. Later that evening we also got a little bit of a taste of home; a very close family friend (and former boss to both Kam and I) Max Rattley was in town heading south from Alaska. It was going to be a very full house. It was great to catch up with Max and hear his travel tales, as well as share some of our own.
Kam and I were really enjoying hanging out family style with the Franko clan and on the next day we headed to the waterfront with Stephanie to explore a local beach and carve our names in the cliffs (for the archaeologists to find in 100 years time). In the arvo we were lucky to go for a kayak paddle on Lake Washington with Nicholas, a lot of fun dodging the multimillion boats and the sea planes landing around us!
Looking back, it seemed as though we really didn’t do much but potter while we were in Seattle, went shopping, went for a drink or two, but we didn’t really do any of the touristy things; and for that we were so happy. Kam and I enjoyed the city of Seattle so much; Pike Place Market, the eclectic brewpubs, cafes, and small boutique shops; we actually felt at home.
Just as our luck would have it, we timed our visit for Rich’s annual work party Mithun-a-fest, which involved 2 things that Kam and I were looking forward to; Beer and Brats! My “Great Uncle” Rich is a partner at a successful architectural firm, and it was amazing to visit his office, which held amazing views over the bay as well as a stunning interior (no doubt). We got to meet lots of interesting people, and we couldn’t help but feel like celebrities (mainly due to our accent).
After trying all of the 4 microbrews available, and all 4 different German sausages, we started our journey home with Rich. Rich had offered to drop a colleague off at her home, and in a very spontaneous decision she convinced us to join her at her local bar for a night cap. As these crazy things happen within minutes we were socialising with Icelandic fashion designers located in the VIP room of the bar; how that happened we will never know!! It was so unexpected, but marvellous that Kam and I were hanging out with architects and designers, and here we are unemployed for the past 7 months… The headache was there the next morning, but the leftover bratwurst was just what was needed to get me moving. There was no rest for the wicked as we had a big plan ahead of us: Halloween pumpkin picking!
Last time I visited the Frankos it was December, so we did the very Americana thing and cut down our own Chrissy tree. In what seems like a regular tradition, the Frankos made sure that whenever I am in town we cut some living object for a holiday ritual. I’m just glad it wasn’t Easter as I didn’t want to take to any bunny with a pocket knife! Pumpkin Picking at the local farm was simply so awesome, Kam and I found the whole experience so much fun and satisfying. Our bellies full of hot cider and hot doughnuts, squelching through the pumpkin patch with a large wheel barrow. We felt very American; even if it was only for an hour or so! Brilliant!
After 5 days (which was meant to originally be three) and lots of wonderful family warmth and uncharacteristic glorious Seattle weather, we sadly bid our farewells to the Frankos and Seattle. Kam and I both felt really at home here, and even though we really didn’t do any touristy things, we had such a good time. I think we would be back one day, I mean, we still have all the touristy things to do!!
